About Me

A RETIRED NEWSWOMAN, I live in a scenic creek-valley in a semi-rural township in northeast Ohio.
Topics and frequency of postings are according to my mood.
My mood is usually upbeat. I value my friends and my family; they are a treasured part of my life..
(DIRECT BLOG COMMENTS TO randrmoore@gmail.com)
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Friday, December 23, 2011

GHOST OF CHRISTMAS PAST: A LETTER FROM SANTA

ROSE & AN OLD UNDERWOOD TYPEWRITER

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Our three Moore boys were very young when they began to find letters from Santa under the Christmas tree, typed on their mom's old portable Underwood typewriter. The letters began with Mark, the eldest, who did not begin having little brothers until 1967.

Each year, after the Christmas tree was set up and decorated for the Christmas season, the typewriter would be set under the tree. Over the days before Christmas, it would contain typed letters to Santa, dictated to me by Mark (and later his little brothers Bryan and Kevin).

Santa himself would answer each letter sent from my boys.

The following letter appeared on the typewriter for Mark one morning in 1965, when he was four. At that time, deer were not yet a common sight in our back yards, and small children often yearned to see one. Santa had written in answer to Mark's questions about deer, reindeer and flying. ___________________________________________

"North Pole, December 12,1965Dear Markie,

I got your nice long letter yesterday. One of my helpers handed it to me just as I left the big toy barn.

I am truly sorry to say, I do not have any reindeer that are ready to retire, Markie. I know how much you have wanted one of your very own. Let me tell you something about deer, Markie. They love peace and quiet, and are unhappy anywhere but deep in the woods. They need to be free. It would be very selfish to keep any wild animal fenced up so that you could look at them whenever you wanted to.

But you can keep an eye on the apples that fall from the trees near the edge of your woods. I think one day a deer might appear there in the early morning or late afternoon. And you could watch it eat, and see it return to the woods in great, beautiful leaps. Believe me, it would be wonderful for you to watch.

I never cage up any of my reindeer. They roam free, and return to me before Christmas. They keep themselves in very fine shape for the Christmas run. They practice take-offs and landings, just like your mom does at the Concord Airpark

All of my reindeer are a little different from each other. Donder and Blitzen are the friskiest, liveliest, most joyful of all. They ride in back of my team right in front of the sleigh. I used to hitch them to the very front, but they were so fast, the other reindeer could hardly keep up. Then they would be so tired after the toys were delivered that sometimes I was afraid they wouldn't be able to finish the trip back home. And the rascally Donder and Blitzen also kept flying off course and pulling us into all kinds of trouble.

Then one of my elves came to me and said, 'Santa, Donder and Blitzen are very high-spirited, and it makes us all happy to fly with them. But Dasher and Dancer are older and wiser. They should be the ones to lead us. They will not run your sleigh into dangerous places, because they have seen the things that can happen. They will fly fast, but not so fast the other deer will get tired before we have delivered the toys.'

What a fine idea! With Donder and Blitzen right in front of the sleigh so close to me, I was able to soak up their energy, and I never again fell asleep at the reins anymore. They make me feel quite young.

I appreciate your advice on good landing spots, Markie. I usually touch down where you said, in the backyard at the edge of your grandpa's back porch next door to your house. Quietly, quietly... I do not make a sound when I land.

You asked me what my Christmas trip is like. Oh my! I love to fly! On Christmas Eve, I give my sleigh a pre-flight check. I make sure the runners are on tight, and the packages are tied down. I check my reindeer harnesses and my own extra large seat belt. I dress warmly, and give my reindeer warm oatmeal with raisins and syrup and milk. And then we hitch up!

I use a special night-time flight chart to show me the way to the houses where children live. I keep an eye peeled for planes, and I have seen quite a few. But I don't think they see me, I whoosh by so fast! Rudolph is my navigation light. My reindeer move us through the night sky so much quieter than airplanes. The only sound we make is a kind of swish, like the wind. And every now and then, I hear the reindeer click their hooves together. It is so peaceful.

When I fly over the Concord Airpark, I holler HO-HO-HO because they always leave their runway lit for me. If I have time, I shoot a few landings for fun. Your friend Adolph Luhta always checks for our tracks on his runway on Christmas morning.

I have to go back to the toy shop now, Markie. I still have a lot to do to be ready for Christmas Eve. If your mom has soloed by then, please tell her to keep the plane on the ground on Christmas Eve and Christmas morning. It's just better that way!

Thanks for the apple bits you always leave for my reindeer. And remember to look for our tracks in the yard on Christmas morning!"---Love to you from Santa Claus"

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P.S. TO YOU FROM MARK'S MOM: The old typewriter in the picture looks just like the one I used to type the letters the boys would send to Santa. The real typewriter was sold at a garage sale by my middle son Bryan when he was a teen-ager. One Christmas after Bryan grew up, he went to an antique store and found a portable Underwood exactly like my old Christmas typewriter. He left it as a gift for me that Christmas. He might be surprised to know that I now use it to write my own Christmas letters to Santa. I may be an older woman and a grandmother now, but I still believe in Santa. And he still believes in me!

P.S. I soloed on the second day of Christmas; 12-26-1965. (Sure surprised those turtle doves)